1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal cell cluster for use as an intermediate product in the manufacture of liquid crystal cells, and a method of manufacturing liquid crystal cells from such a liquid crystal cell cluster.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
There are widely used liquid crystal display units comprising a liquid crystal sealed between two glass plates each carrying electrodes formed by a thin film fabrication process such as evaporation. When a voltage is applied by electrodes to liquid crystal molecules that are uniformly aligned, the liquid crystal molecules are oriented into a pattern depending on the electrodes for partly blocking transmission of light through the liquid crystal.
One conventional process of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell for use in the liquid crystal display unit will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6(a) through 6(f) of the accompanying drawings.
First, a liquid crystal cell cluster 100 as shown in FIG. 6(a) is prepared which comprises two glass plates 101 joined to each other with a matrix of spaces 103 defined therebetween in horizontal rows and vertical columns with a sealant 102, each of the spaces 103 having an inlet 104. Each of the glass plates 101 has electrodes 105 and terminals 106 formed thereon in association with the spaces 103.
Then, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the liquid crystal cell cluster 100 is cut off horizontally into a plurality of subclusters 100a each composed of a horizontal array of spaces 103. The inlets 104 of the spaces 103 are open on one side of each of the subclusters 100a.
Thereafter, while the spaces 103 of each of the subclusters 100a are being evacuated, the inlets 104 are immersed in a liquid crystal 107, allowing the spaces 103 to be filled with the liquid crystal 107 as shown in FIG. 6(c). Then, the inlet 104 are sealed as shown in FIG. 6(d), after which the subcluster 100a is cut off into individual cells 100b as shown in FIG. 6(e). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6(f), polarizers 108 are attached to the respective opposite surfaces of each of the cells 100b, thus completing a liquid crystal cell 110.
According to the above conventional process of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell, however, it is not possible to introduce the liquid crystal into all the spaces 103 of the liquid crystal cell cluster 100 in one operation. Since the liquid crystal cell cluster 100 is first cut off horizontally into a plurality of subclusters 100a each having inlets 104 opening on one side, the efficiency with which liquid crystal is introduced into the spaces 103 is relatively low.
Furthermore, inasmuch as the liquid crystal cell cluster 100 is cut off at an early stage, subsequent steps such as of attaching polarizers 108 are quite cumbersome to carry out.
When the liquid crystal 107 is introduced into the spaces 103, the liquid crystal 107 finds its way into outer sides of the spaces 103, i.e., the portions of the spaces 103 where the terminals 106 are formed. Consequently, it is necessary to clean off those portions to remove the liquid crystal that has attached.